Phase 2 - Major Area of Public Open Space (POS)
September 2021: POS FAQ Released
Further to residents' questions to the parish council, Cllr Turner-Wilkes has worked with Crest Nicholson to compile frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding the new public open spaces to be constructed around Phase 2. Click on the PDF links below for further information.
September 2021: POS Drainage Plans
The parish council is very much aware of the concern of residents in homes that are adjacent to the new POS areas around Phase 2 following run-off and flooding during heavy rainfall in the last couple of years. The council has discussed these concerns with Crest Nicholson and has been assured that mitigation measures for additional drainage have been built into the updated plans for the POS construction.
The updated plans are linked below:
- POS Drainage Plans 1 of 2 (PDF)
- POS Drainage Plans 2 of 2 (PDF)
The council will be monitoring the build progress over the autumn and seeking to ensure that these measures are in place prior to December.
July 2021: Introduction
Plans for the largest area of public open space to be provided at Hunts Grove were submitted to the planning authority in September 2017 and approved in January 2018. Just prior to the planning application, Crest Nicholson held a public exhibition of the plans in August 2017.
Since plans were approved, the project has been delayed due to a number of factors, for example, major earthworks across the area to increase the height of the noise bund adjacent to the M5, and in the past year the Covid-19 pandemic. The parish council is in close contact with Crest Nicholson to secure the delivery of this important asset to the community and we have been assured that works will be commencing shortly with groundworks and hard landscaping, planting over winter, and final works over spring and summer 2022. It is likely that the area will be completed and closed off for a period of time for settling in. Naturally, as works progress, we will keep residents informed of the project timelines.
As any resident that has walked the land between Phase Two homes, the motorway, and railway will know, the area is huge. As such, the completed POS will host many different features from activity and play areas, a 1km fitness trail, meadows, play trails, and social spaces.
The Parish Council has a lot of detailed plans available for each of the POS areas. Further to requests from residents, we are considering the possibility of holding an open evening with an interactive presentation of plans for the POS, community building, and other amenities planned for Hunts Grove.
Do contact us via our Facebook page or email if you should have any questions.
The Plans
We have expanded the list of plans substantially below to provide additional detail requested by residents. The Phase 2 Major POS is split into three main areas, 1) The general site including play trails, fitness trails, and meadows, 2) NEAP (Neighbourhood Equipped Area of Play), and 3) the Pocket Park.
The planning history is split into three main stages, 1) The public exhibition held by Crest Nicholson in August 2017, 2) The main planning application submitted in September 2017, and 3) Further detail and minor changes submitted in September 2018.
The Public Exhibition - 21st August 2017
Crest Nicholson held a public exhibition at Hunts Grove where the following materials were presented, see PDF below "POS Exhibition Materials". How the exhibition was held, attendee feedback, and design team feedback is described in the second PDF below "Community Engagement"
S.17/2143/REM - Submitted 20th September 2017, Approved 5th January 2018
This is the main planning application for the Phase 2 Major POS, planning reference S.17/2143/REM.
- POS Overview (PDF)
- General Arrangement - Hard Works - 1 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - Hard Works - 2 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - Hard Works - 3 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - Hard Works - 4 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - Soft Works - 1 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - Soft Works - 2 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - Soft Works - 3 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - Soft Works - 4 of 4 (PDF)
Image: Location of NEAP and Pocket Park
S.18/2103/MINAM - Submitted 27th September 2018, Approved 2nd November 2018
This is a minor amendments application that made some minor changes (detailed below) and provided detailed plans of both the NEAP (Neighbourhood Equipped Area of Play) and the Pocket Park.
- POS NEAP (Neighbourhood Equipped Area of Play) (PDF)
- POS Pocket Park (PDF)
- Play Features (PDF)
- General Arrangement - 1 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - 2 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - 3 of 4 (PDF)
- General Arrangement - 4 of 4 (PDF)
Changes
The following changes were approved in this application:
- Kissing gate to the northern end of the new footpath.
- Neap: Concrete kick wall replaced with a facility behind the basketball hoop, change in surfacing now blue/green colour instead of orange, relocation of two new trees, the addition of 1.2m steel fencing.
- Pocket Park: equipment –“rocker” swopped with “totter beam”
- Play trail: additional signage
- Footpaths: increase widths from 1.2m to 1.5m on self-binding gravel.